Running for Freedom
by Hydrotamer
Summary: "When you run away, you leave behind important things: Your home... your family...but what if what you're running away from held you back from the thing you wanted most... freedom." Serving as the interquel for "Wunsch auf einem Stern", "Running for Freedom" follows the story of the kidnapped Jewel Fall, as she begins her jouney as a soldier for the resistance...
1. Prologue

**_~*Recap:*~_******

_**BARIKA'S POV **_

_I grabbed her hand and we continued running away from the two strange people. I dared not to look back when I heard a third pair of footstep running behind us and boy was he fast! He jumped up and tackled Jewel, taking me down with her._

_She started struggling in his grip and shreiked. I watched in horror as the man threw her over his shoulder. No! He was not going to take my sister away from me! I ran over to him and hurled my body towards him, trying desperately to save my sister. He spotted me somehow and dodged my attack then, the whole world seemed to be going in slow motion as I got a glimpse of his eyes... those cold blue eyes that brought shivers to my body._

_All of a sudden I felt something knock me down off my feet and on my back, "Jewel!"_

_"Barika!"_

_My sister shouted while still being carried away. In a flash I felt something hard hit me in the back of my head and I fell forward. Voices started distorting in my head and I could barely make out a random persons words that said, "Sorry, love. No hard feelings." I could still hear my sister's screams as my world faded to black._

**JEWEL'S POV**

My eyes widened in terror and disbelief at what I had just seen. That bastard had just knocked my sister out in plain view!

I began squirming in my captor's grasp and screaming my heart out, "YOU BASTARDS!" I shouted, anger now corsing through my veins.

My hands began scratching and hitting the man's shoulder, "LET ME GO, DAMN IT!"

Suddenly I felt him drop me on the dirt ground like a sack of potatoes. Now was my chance! I began squirming away before the man grabbed me by my ankle and pulled me back to him,

"No!" I screamed hitting him with my fists,

"Would you just hold still?!" The man quietly said.

I continued screaming before suddenly a cloth was held up, covering my mouth and my nose, and giving off an akward smell. It was a scent that caused my whole world to start spinning before fading into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 1

**(A/N: Hehehe, I bet you thought that I would only focus on Kandake, didn't you?! Well that would make you wrong silly boy! Or...girl! But anyway, I plan to do this with the other sisters in Kandake's family and give each one of them their own story/adventure. As mentioned before, this one follows Jewel, the kidnapped sister from the previous installment and her adventures in the resistance. BTW, remember when I asked who you guys thought took Jewel? Well, you'll find out here!**

**Enjoy!)**

JEWEL'S POV

My eyes widened in terror and disbelief at what I had just seen. That bastard had just knocked my sister out in plain view! I began squirming in my captor's grasp and screaming my heart out, "YOU BASTARDS!" I shouted, anger now corsing through my veins. My hands began scratching and hitting the man's shoulder, "LET ME GO, DAMN IT!"

Suddenly I felt him drop me on the dirt ground like a sack of potatoes. Now was my chance! I began squirming away before the man grabbed me by my ankle and pulled me back to him, "No!" I screamed hitting him with my fists,

"Would you just hold still?!" The man quietly said. I continued screaming before suddenly a cloth was held up, covering my mouth and my nose, and giving off an akward smell. It was a scent that caused my whole world to start spinning before fading into the darkness.

THE NEXT DAY

Silence.

That's all I hear, yet... why do I feel so serene?

My eyes opened and I shot up in alarm. I was in a room. A really adequate, yet quite primative, room. It had a white color on the walls, an old burgandy dresser to the side of a smaller one that stood near the bed I layed in. There was also a bookcase that was partially filled but other then that there was nothing else worth noting.

"Wat die hel?" My mind wandered. A pale grey blanket rolled off my shoulders and I began to notice that my old ragged clothing from the plantations was instead replaced with an odd shirt that showed off my shoulders, and odd clothing that covered both of my legs. "What are these?" I asked myself gripping and messing with my new attire. I then remembered that Sadik used to wear these things. What were they called? Pants. Right.

Suddenly I heard a door open and looked in its direction, alarmed. A man appeared looking at me and suddenly a large grin appeared on his face, "Hey you're awake!"

I stared at the man, no, boy who stood in front of me. He looked no older then me! Maybe by a year, but... he was so young! He had sandy blonde hair with an odd strand of hair sticking up, deep blue eyes, and an odd pair of spectacles. The boy wore a white shirt with the same brownish lower attire that I wore.

He began walking towards me and I began trying to move away from him in the bed, "Hey! Hey, dude! Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you!" He sat at the edge of my bed and faced me with that same cheeky smile of his, "Do you feel okay?"

I slowly nodded and he let out a loud hearty laugh, "Well thank god for that! I was afraid that I killed ya when I knocked you out back there!"

Then I snapped.

**HE** was the one who kidnapped me?! I lunged towards him and began hitting and punching him, "You kidnapped me?! YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!"

The teen started holding up his arms blocking my hits, "Whoa! Time out! Time out!"

"Verdomp ek De lucht doodmaak!"

Suddenly he grabbed my wrists and held them in place, "Chill out man!" He said, "If I wanted to do something bad to you don't you think I would've done it already?"

The boy let go of my wrists and pointed his thumb at himself, saying in a loud booming voice, "Besides, I'M THE HERO! And the hero never hurts ladies!"

I raised an eyebrow, _"'The hero?' He calls himself 'The hero'? Not really that heroic if you ask me. "_

"Oh by the way, the name's Alfred. Alfred F. Jones. You?"

I placed my hand on my chest, "My name is Jewel, Jewel Sitota." Suddenly I began patting my chest rapidly. It was gone! I started searching around the bed and under the sheets while saying, "No, no no! Where is it?"

"What's wrong?" Alfred asked me, curiousity coating his blue eyes.

"I lost it..." I croaked out, a lump of sadness overtaking my throat, "I lost my necklace. It must've fallen off somewhere at the plantations." Tears began to coat my eyes as I hid my face in my knees.

"Oh that thing?" Alfred stood up and pointed over at a wooden dresser, "It's right over there."

In a flash I jumped out of the bed and rushed towards the direction he pointed in and there it was laying neatly on the antique. It was a blue diamond that hung from a thread and gleamed in the sunlight. I quickly grabbed it and wrapped my palms around the serene object and heaved a breath of relief. Alfred walked towards me,

"What's up with you?" He reached over for my necklace, "You act like this little trinket is something that you can't live witho-."

I snapped my glare towards him and bitterly remarked, "Don't. Touch. it."

Knowing that he had just crossed the danger zone, Alfred then put his hands up and slowly backed away, "Alright. Alright."

Before he could say another word, I had already placed the necklace around my neck and deeply sighed in relief. "You seem a lot better now." He told me, returning that smile he had before.

I crossed my arms, "Well I'm not all better," I sternly said, "Where am I and why did you bring me here?"

Alfred began rubbing the back of his head, "Well, you see-uhm..."

One of my eyebrows raised out of irritation, "Yes?" The boy began stuttering endlessly using words that I couldn't understand, "Oh, I see what this is all about." I growled, my fists clenching.

Alfred looked at me confused, "Y-You do?" I began walking angrily towards the man, "You think that just because you're a man in some "gang" that you can just kidnap anybody, don't you?"

Alfred started walking backwards, "N-No! That's not it I-!"

"What are you gonna use me for? Breeding?"

"No!"

"Slave labor?!"

"Hold up just listen-!"

"Or maybe you're gonna use me for some pleasure slave!" I balled my fists, "A prize! I knew it! A royal treasure in the light yet a concubine in the dark! I should've known!" By the time I finished Alfred had his back against the wall staring at me, worried from my sudden outburst of anger, "Well trust me when I say this to you, Alfred F. Jones," I said, emphasizing his name, "If you even think about using me for any one of those things, I swear to our heavenly lord that I'll personally send you to the gates of hell myself!"

"Jewel wait a minute, you've got it all wr-!" Suddenly he yelped and crashed on top of me. I screamed in surprise.

WHen we toppled to the floor I rubbed the back of my head, "Oww..." I moaned before looking up at Alfred who stared down at me and blushed a hard red,

"This isn't what it looks like." He quickly said.

Suddenly the door to the room opened, "Alfred, what the hell is taking you so lo-?" A uniquely accented voice said from behind us. We both turned around to face a man with shaggy blonde hair, emerald green eyes, and... caterpillars on his forehead. Wait, were those his eyebrows?! "Well, it's nice to see that you two are already getting along well." He said.

That voice!

"Nothing happened!" Alfred whined before I pushed him off of me, fully recognizing the formal accented man,

"Jou bliksem!" I swung a fist at him but he easily dodged it and held it in place. I struggled against his grip, "Let me go! You knocked out my sister!"

The bushy eyebrowed man's eyes slightly widened, "That was your sister?" He said, "I deeply apologize for tha-."

"Skip the apology, I don't want it!" I shouted, "I just want to know where am I why you've taken me here! And I swear, if I have to walk back home from wherever we are then I will!"

THe man shook his head, "We can't let you do that," He told me, "it would be best if you just stayed here for now."

I scoffed and tried to push past the emerald eyed man but he wouldn't budge, "Damn it...!" I cursed under my breath,

"Arthur, C'mon stop being mean to Jewel and just tell her what she wants to know." Alfred said,

"I can't, Alfred," Arthur faced him, "That's for you to do."

I saw Alfred's face suddenly turn a bit nervous.

The man, or Arthur, faced me again and said, "But I will tell you this, Jewel. You are now a part of the Resistance force."

"Resistance? What the hell is that?" I asked cynically.

"We are a group of nomads who wish to defeat the crisis of aristocracy and communism. We are a growing tribe who one day hope to be a nation of people who live freely without any rules or limitations that our King has provided us."

"So you could say that we are kinda like superheros!" Alfred chimed in.

_"More like a band of misfits who kidnap people."_ I thought to myself. "King? What King?"

Arthur proceeded to walk out the door, "You will know when the time is right," He faced Alfred, "Show her to the female residance and let them give her knowledge before we can begin her training."

"Training?! What training?"

Alfred nodded, "No problemo, bro!"

"Is anybody even listening to me anymore?!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and walked out.

"Follow me, Jewel." Alfred told me and we began walking towards the door as well.

"Wait Alfred, I have a question," I said. The boy turned around to face me.

"What the hell is a superhero?"

**(A/N: Lolz, this one was kinda short but I hope that as for length the next chapter will make up for it. I wanted it to end on a more comedic note then a dramatic one like Wunsch auf einem Stern did. Keep in mind, this one will have more jokes then the other story will. But until then I'll see you in the next chapter! Don't forget to review! :D)**

**Translations:**

**Wat die hel?-What the hell? (Afrikaans)**

**"Verdomp ek De lucht doodmaak!-DAMN IT I OUGHTA KILL YOU! (Afrikaans)**

**Jou bliksem!-You BASTARD (Afrikaans)**


	3. Chapter 2

**(A/N: *Sigh*, Editing this thing at 1:45 in the morning is a challenge. But I'm holding on. I gotta finish editing the last one so I can get some sleep for Cowboy Bebop. But anyway, we'll find out what Alfred kidnapped Jewel for! :D! But enough babbling! On to the show! Or... story.)**

When I followed Alfred out of the room I was greeted by blinding sunlight. I held up my arms in front of my eyes to sheild them from the piercing brightness and in front of me was a sight to behold. There were men and women of different ages walking through the camp doing their fair share of work. In one group I saw women shouting orders at men who were pulling up a red flag with a large eagle on it,

"Put your backs into it!" One of the woman ordered them.

As I continued walking glares turned towards me and Alfred, suspiciously. I waved nervously back at them, "Don't worry about them," Alfred told me, "they're cool! Just gotta get used to you."

He led me to a large compound that contained long tables of men and women sitting down and chatting with each other. I stared at Alfred who smiled and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Mornin' everyone!"

Suddenly all of the people stopped their conversations and began staring at me with the utmost curiousity. I began to feel nervous,

"This right here is Jewel, " He continued, "She's a newcomer to the family. I, uh..." He began fiddling slightly with his hair bangs and looked at me, "...I picked her out myself."

Suddenly the crowd began to clamor in agreement and whatnot. "Well alright!" A person said,

"Wonderful!" A woman chimed in.

Suddenly a large laughing man went over and began roughly patting Alfred's shoulder, "Well, the more the merrier, right m'boy?" The gruff man then began to gawk loudly again as he made his way back to his place in the crowd.

Suddenly I felt my stomach rumble and howl like a wolf, "Yo, Jewel, why don't you sit down and wait for the food to be served? I figured that you'd probably be hungry before your training." Alfred led me to a table filled with strange people and sat me down beside Arthur before sitting next to me, "Yao's got breakfast on the way," He said, "Once you try his cooking, I promise you, you'll be satisfied."

I looked around at all the people sitting with me. They were all speaking with each other and staring at me at the same time,

"So Jewel," Arthur began, "I wanted to apologize for knocking out your," He made air quotes with his fingers, "'sister' last night."

I frowned, "You better hope that she's alright," I muttered, "Because if I find out that she's got some sort of head trauma, you're dead."

The snooty accented man closed his eyes and chuckled. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around the man's neck, "Good morning Arthur!" A female voice piped up cheerfully. We turned around and there was a girl with tanned skin, brown eyes and hair that was tied into two pigtails that were held up by red ribbons,

"Good morning, Michelle." Arthur replied back, turning around and giving the young girl a kiss on the cheek.

She faced me and her smile slightly dropped, "Well what is this?"

"This is Jewel," Alfred said, "the newcomer."

"Ohhhh," Michelle said, looking at my appearance, "She doesn't look like much."

"Michelle!" Arthur whispered. Before she coulld reply a person, who I thought was supposedly a man, came out with large plates of seafood and all kinds of other odd items. He had a brown hair tied into a long ponytail, amber eyes, fair skin, and wore some sort of green military outfit with a red armband that had a star on it, bandages wrapped around the part of his legs the pants didn't cover, and simple black shoes,

"Měi gèrén, tīng hǎole!" The 'man' shouted and everyone turned towards him, "lunch is ready, aru! Come and get it!"

He along with three other smaller companions, who I guessed were either friends or siblings, began passing out plates, eating utensils, and pitchers of some sort of drink.

One of the female companions placed a plate of a whole lobster in front of me and Alfred saying, "Yuàn nǐ de shēnghuó kuàilè he wánchéng!(May your life be joyful and complete!)." She then giggled and walked off waving at me, "Enjoy the food!"

"What did she say?" I asked Alfred,

"I-It doesn't matter," He said quickly while shaking his head, "I can never understand her anyway."

A young boy with a shoulder length brown hair and bushy eyebrows walked over and poured me a cup of what I guessed was either fruit punch or wine and served it to me, "Enjoy," He quietly muttered. After the food was fully served Yao shouted, "Enjoy the meal, aru!"

"Now," Arthur then stood up, picking up one of the cups in the process and said, "Let us be thankful for this meal!"

The crowd of people cheered, "and let us also be thankful for another day of living in opposition to King Gilbert!" I turned towards him in shock,

_"King... Gilbert?!"_

_"By the way I am the awesome Gilbert Beilschmit!" He points to his brother and says, "That's my brother, Ludwig Beilschmit. He's awesome, but not as awesome as me!"_

"Jewel, are you okay?" I turned towards Alfred who stared at me worried,

"I'm fine." I said slightly bitter. "

"Now as you all know," Arthur continued, "I've managed to gather infromation from him directly. After the meal, those who are interested shall meet in the meeting house and we will discuss them from there." Then he sat down and everyone, including the cooks, began eating.

Alfred waved over at the ponytailed man and said, "Hey Yao!" He gestured with his hands, "Come over here!"

The man, or Yao, walked over towards him, "Yao this is Jewel," Alfred turned towards me, "Jewel, this is Yao. He's one of the trainers as well as part-time cook of the resistance."

"H-Hello..." I managed to say.

Yao drove his fist into is hand and bowed, "Nǐ hǎo, Jewel! It's a pleasure to finally meet you, aru! I hope that your unification is long and prosperous!"

_"Unification?"_ I thought to myself confused before replying, "Thank you, Yao."

He turned around and looked towards his left before shouting at one of his underlings, "Jia Long! Do not light those fireworks! It's not the right time!" Yao then ran off and began scolding his younger sibling.

All the while that we were eating I found Michelle constantly sneaking evil glares at me, "Is there something wrong?" I finally asked, irritated by her cynical looks.

"I just have a few questions to ask," Michelle said.

Suddenly Alfred nearly choked on his glass of punch and began coughing, "Uhh, it's a little too early to be asking questions right?" He wiped is mouth with his hand, "I mean, I think we should-."

"Alright then," I pushed my plate away, much to Alfred's surprise and looked her dead in the eye, "I'm all ears." "First, how fast can you run?"

"I'm... pretty fast." I said.

"Could you escape a whole search party of people who were after you?"

"Probably... yes."

Michelle quietly hmmphed. "Have you ever hunted or killed anything, or anyone before?"

Alfred tried to intrude, "Michelle I don't think that-."

"It's alright, Alfred," Michelle stated, "After all, what's wrong with asking a new companion a couple of questions?"

I was suddenly quiet. I had never thought about killing anything, or anyone for that matter in my life! The fact that Michelle brought this up brought shivers to my spine. "No," I finally answered, "never have."

"Have you ever wanted to kill someone or something?"

"I just said no-!"

"Have you ever stolen anything? Are you good at using knives or guns? ARe you educated in any form of medical treatment?"

The questions were coming so rapid that, finally, I just stopped answering them.

Michelle then scoffed, "She's just another damsel in distress type!" I frowned as she tossed on of her pigtails behind her back, "Figures Alfred would choose the most useless woman to marry."

I turned to Alfred who suddenly had a horrified face on his usual cheerful one.

Marriage?!

This freak kidnapped me from my family just to MARRY me?!

"And of course he didn't tell you," Michelle continued, "that would be giving him way too much credit if he did."

It all made sense now.

_"Arthur, C'mon stop being mean to Jewel and just tell her what she wants to know." Alfred said, _

_"I can't, Alfred," Arthur faced him, "That's for you to do."_

_ "...I picked her out myself."_

_ "Well, the more the merrier, right m'boy?" _

_"Yuàn nǐ de shēnghuó kuàilè he wánchéng!(May your life be joyful and complete!)." She then giggled and walked off waving at me, "Enjoy the food!" _

_Yao drove his fist into is hand and bowed, "Nǐ hǎo, Jewel! It's a pleasure to finally meet you, aru! I hope that your unification is long and prosperous!" _

_"Jia Long! Do not light those fireworks! It's not the right time!" _

_"Uhh, it's a little too early to be asking questions right?" _

Anger coarsed through my veins as I stood up from where I sat, "N-Now-Now Jewel," Alfred said trying to calm me down, "j-just calm down-hold on, let me explain-."

SPLAT!

I had taken one of the many dishes that Yao and his family had made and splattered it all over Alfred's head. The group of once joyful people were now staring at me and Alfred in silence and wonder at what I had just done. I continuously stared angrily at Alfred's frightened blue eyes before walking out of the hut.

"Jewel, wait!" Alfred shouted as he tried to run after me.

When I got outside I ran. I didn't know where I was going, nor whether I was running away from Alfred or just the thought of getting married to him. I just ran. I pushed past trees and shrubs before finding myself at a small freshwater creek. I sat down in the grass and huddled my knees close to my chest, _"Marriage? MARRIAGE?! He actually thought that I would marry him?! If he really wanted me to become his bride, why didn't he just ask for my hand, like a normal person would?!"_

"Jewel!" I grit my teeth and cursed under my breath, trying to find a place to hide before Alfred appeared behind me with a now stained shirt, "It's dangerous to run off like that!" He warned me, "Don't ever do that agai-!"

"SHUT UP!"

Alfred closed his mouth as I stood up and preceeded to walk away from him. "Jewel, wait-!"

I flashed back at him, "Don't talk to me about anything, Alfred! Everything that has happened is all YOUR fault!"

I poked him in the chest hard, causing Alfred to back up, "You took me away from my family!" I did it again screaming in the process,

"Jewel hold on-!"

"You set me up in a place far away from my home!" I poked him once more,

"Jewel! Stop!" Alfred shouted with sudden alert spreading through his voice,

"And then you think that you can just ask me to marry you and I'll automatically fall into your arms like some fragile flower?! Why couldn't you ask me to marry you like a NORMAL person would've done?! You're disgusting!" And then I poked him one last time.

But my anger-filled pokes soon paid a price when I saw Alfred's foot slip suddenly. He yelped in alert and tried to grab onto the nearest thing he could find to avoid falling...

...my necklace.

When I suddenly saw his hands around the trinket I tried getting him to let go of it before all at once it broke off of my neck and into a million peices. Alfred, who nearly fell off the small grassy cliff, grabbed the edge of it with catlike reflexes and hung on for dear life. My eyes widened,

"Jewel what's wrong?" Alfred asked as he turned around and we watched breathlessly, mouth agape as my treasured peice of jewelry fall into the creek. "No..." I said,

"NO!"

I scurried down a trail that led me to the bank of the rushing water and began quickly running inside, splashing around and digging for my lost trinket. I wasn't about to lose that thing! Not now of all times! Water, dirt, and grime splashed up into my face and in my mouth, but I wouldn't let that stop me from finding what was precious to me. Tears began coating my eyes after what seemed like, almost a half an hour as I began to repeat the word, "No..." over and over again.

Soon Alfred came down to me and hesitantly placed his hand on my shoulder. I threw water at him, "GET AWAY!"

He flinched at the water that landed on him but then his face softened when he saw the tears that fell from my eyes, "Jewel, I'm-I'm sorry." Alfred said.

I pushed him out of my way and then walked back toward the camp quickly and somberly. When I arrived back I noticed people of the resistance staring at me silently. I didn't know whether they were looking at how messy I looked or whether it was the tears in my eyes, nor did I care.

Alfred was running behind me saying, "Jewel, wait! I'm sorry!" When I found the room that I woke up in I slammed the door and locked it, seconds before Alfred could enter it. I crawled back onto the bed and curled up into a ball sobbing my eyes out until they were dry, while mumbling the word, "Mom...Mom...Mom..."

ALFRED'S POV

I continuously pounded on the door, "Jewel, come on! Open the door!" I shouted, "I'm sorry! Please!" Finally I stopped and my fist slid downwards on the wooden frame. WHen I turned around I noticed everyone staring at me for a short while before going back to their business. A sigh left me, _"Now she'll never say 'yes'..."_ I sunk down to the ground and placed my head in my hands, _"...and we'll never know..."_

**_(A/N: Ooohh, What will we never know? Tee-hee! I love cliffhangers (except when the cliffhanger is at the end of a series)! So, I had to do a little research on some things for this chapter. First, as you all should know the girl who gave Jewel the lobster was Taiwan, but I read that in Chinese wedding banquets red was the sign of happiness (big shock XD) so serving a lobster was a symbol of joy, happiness, and completeness. So that explains a lot. Another thing you should probably note is that Jia Long is Hong Kong's name at least his Chinese one. But wow, I gotta admit, the reason for Jewel's kidnapping came as a shock, right?! Will Jewel forgive him? I guess we'll just have to find out in the next chapter!)_**

**_Translations:_**

**_Měi gèrén, tīng hǎole! -Everyone, listen up! (Chinese)_**

**_Yuàn nǐ de shēnghuó kuàilè he wánchéng!-May your life be joyful and complete! (Chinese)_**

**_Nǐ hǎo-Hello (Chinese)_**


	4. Chapter 3

**(A/N: Okay so of three chapters I've been writing this one would have to be the most fun, yet the most challenging. Why? Well you'll find out later. 'Till then. Enjoy!)**

THAT NIGHT

FLASHBACK

_The sun kissed my skin as I ran through the soft grass on my bare feet, laughing like the child I was. I then rolled around on the soft terrian with a large smile still present on my face. It was like I was free. Free from any problems or worries at all. Suddenly I heard a voice behind me say, "Jewel... Jewel..." _

_I gasped, "Y-You're-."_

Suddenly I opened my eyes. It took me a while to realize that I had been sleeping and the day had soon past by. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and I furrowed my eyebrows together, "Go away, Alfred!" I shouted,

"It's not Alfred," A voice said from outside, "Open the door Jewel." Arthur? I sighed and walked towards the door, unlocking it, and soon opened the wooden frame revealing Arthur. I then walked back towards the bed and sat on it,

"Hey," he said walking in with a small plate of food in hand, "I bought you some food, in case you were hungry."

I stared down at the floor in silence. Arthur put the plate on one of the dressers and then turned to stare at me with a humorless gaze,

"You know you should really give Alfred a chance," He said much to my surpise, "He might not be the most mature of men yet, but I know that deep down he's a good person. Trust me, being his brother and all I would have the slightest idea."

I sighed, pondering over whether I should listen to him or if I should just continue with my constant moping and whining, "Where is Alfred anyway?" I asked, slightly curious as to why his brother would be here instead of he himself,

"He disappeared a while ago," Arthur replied, "I haven't seen him anywhere."

Suddenly the door opened and Michelle walked in, not caring at all about privacy "Arthur are you ready yet?"

"Just a minute, Michelle," Arthur said, "I just have to-."

She began to grab his arm and drag him towards the door, "Everyone's waiting for you to start the meeting!" I noticed her give me a sneaky smirk before leaving me alone, once again pondering whether or not I should follow them.

I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply, _"This is so messed up..."_

ALFRED'S POV

My hands dipped wrecklessly inside of the cold dark stream, splashing muck and dirt on my clothes and face. I lifted up my head and looked around after hearing a wolf's call. "Dude! This is so not cool!" I whispered starting to shake in fear, "Why does it have to get dark so damn fast?!" As I started frantically searching again my heartrate picked up, "It-It's just a wolf! I ain't scared of no wolf! I'M THE HER-!" Suddenly I heard another howl, "O-Or what if it's not a wolf? What if it's the wolfman that Arthur told me about?!"

I then began searching even quicker before accidently splashing muck into my face. Great. Now my glasses are all dirty. I shrugged, took them off and tossed it to the grassy side of the riverbank. "It's not like I need them anyway."

Spitting out some of the grime that coated my mouth, I made myself continue to look through the rushing water.

_"But I know that it's here,"_ I thought to myself, _"I know it."_

My fingers continued to search and run along the various sticks, stones, and whatnot. I felt something slimy hit one of my digits and quickly jerked it back, yelping, and slipping in the process which caused me to crash underneath the water. I quickly stood up and spit out more of the nasty substance that got into my mouth before pulling and looking at my once white shirt,

"Gross..."

I trailed my feet to another side of the creek, my clothes now wet, dirty and cold, before bending over and continuing my mission. "Where the hell is it?"

In a matter of seconds I suddenly felt my hands come across something. Something...circular? My heart picked up with adrenaline as a quickly grabbed it and held it close to my eyes. "Yes!" I said as I stared at the object that illuminated in my hands. "Got it."

I heaved a breath of relief before starting to shiver, "Well, this couldn't possibly get any wor-."

CRASH!

I yelped at the loud noise and noticed rain pouring on me. My face went from shocked to annoyed and I groaned.

JEWEL'S POV

As rain pattered against the window my gaze was held on the ceiling of my room. I was still thinking on whether or not I should join Arthur and the others with this meeting of his. _"If I stayed here,"_ I thought, _"I'd just be dead weight and might slow them down by doing nothing!"_

I turned over on my side.

_"But if I actually went and listened, I'd be going against my sister Kandake! And I can't do that!"_

I sighed deeply, _"I'm in deep trouble."_

Suddenly there was a knock on my door. I stood up from my bed, walked towards it, and turned the doorknob revealing a dirty Alfred, covered in grime and drenched from head to toe in the rain.

I placed my hands on my hips, "What are you doing here?" I asked, "You look terrible and you smell gro-." T

hen he held up his hand, showing me something that shimmered in his palm. My eyes widened and my mouth gaped open in awe.

He had found my necklace.

It stood gleaming brighter than the stars in the night sky with not a speck of the nasty gunk from the river. "Where did you get this? H-How did you-?"

"It took me a while," He replied, "Not to mention the cleaning and polishing." Alfred smiled before starting to shiver, "Hey c-can I come inside? It's freezing out here with a wet shirt and all."

I raised an eyebrow,

"C'mon, Jewel. The spare clothes are in there!"

I pouted, "Oh alright."

He rushed inside of the room trailing puddles of water inside. After looking back at how soggy his clothes were, I figured he must've been really cold from the river, almost not counting the immense amount of rain that poured outside. When I turned around Alfred had already removed his shirt and was quickly reaching for another one. The sight itself caused me to blush with embarrassment, for I had never seen a man shirtless before. I found myself looking him up and down and staring at his muscular body in slight awe.

Suddenly he stopped and slightly turned his head towards me saying, "Like what you see?"

I turned back around, embarrassed. "Oh please! I've seen men more developed than you!" I sneered.

Alfred just chuckled, "Oh really? Like that Sadik guy?" He muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

I humphed and crossed my arms. "Alright!" He turned back around, "I'm all dressed!"

It was then that I noticed the absence of his glasses.

I had to admit, without them he looked a little attractive.

A **little**.

He walked towards the door while grabbing my hand, "Now come on! Arthur's meeting's probably started without us! We can't miss any more!"

I yanked my hand from his grip, "I'm not going!" I sat on my bed frowning in the process.

Alfred walked towards me, "Is it me?" Alfred sits down next to me, "So are you like..." He rubs the back of his head, "...still mad at me?"

I stared at him with a pout on my lips, "Well," I began, "I'm still pretty mad about this whole ordeal that you got me into..."

Alfred sighed, "Oh..."

I crossed my arms, "But I do think that I can get used to it." I said stiffly.

Alfred then jumped up, "So you''ll train with us as part of the resistance?!"

I nodded.

"And you'll marry me?!"

I stared at him and raised an eyebrow, "Don't push it," I mumbled, "I'm still pissed off about that."

Alfred slumps his shoulders, "Okay..." He jusmps back onto his feet,

"But that doesn't matter!" The excited man boomed, "Because we've gained one more memeber of the resistance ot help us in our fight against King Gilbert!"

I winced, "Y-Yeah," I said, "That's great..."

Alfred stared at me with shock, "Why arent' you excited, Jewel? King Gilbert is one of the main reasons that this war has ceased to end! He's been enslaving our kind ever since, practically the beginning of time! All that silver haired bastard cares about is getting our land and gaining mfore power! Why would you even try to defend him? Unless..." He looks at me dead in the eye and says, "...you know something, don't you?"

I looked back at him. There was no point in lying now,

"M-My..." Alfred continued to stare, "My sister is getting married to him."

Alfred's eyes nearly popped out of his head, "WHAT?! Are you serious?!"

I nodded,

"Holy crap!"

"I know, it's terri-."

"THIS IS GREAT!"

I stared at Alfred, now morally confused, "What?"

"Don't you see Jewel? You have the ability to help put an end to this war! You have the leeway!" He wrapped his arms around me in a giant bear hug, "I always knew that you would be useful to the team someday!"

"Alfred! Choking! Cant...breathe!"

"Oh sorry!" The excited teen let me go, "Wait 'till we tell Arthur!"

"Yeah... wait till..."

Alfred grabbed my hand again, this time more gentle, and said, "Hey, don't worry about your sister." He smiled, "Besides, we're gonna save her, not hurt her."

I continued to look into his baby blue eyes, "You promise?"

"I promise." He then placed both hands on my shoulder, "C'mon, trust me. The hero won't let you down."

I stared at him for the longest of times before finally giving in. I deeply sighed and said, "Alright, you have my trust."

A smile illuminated Alfred's face and we walked outside.

The rain had suddenly stopped.

_"A sign of new beginnings..."_

I followed Alfred as he led me around a series of buildings until finally stopping at one with a flag of an eagle hanging on the front of the doorway. When we walked inside there was Arthur talking to a large group of people from all over the camp.

"Gilbert's increased his defenses further across the country," He said, "He's managed to spread them across the country..." Arthur turns around to face a map and points at a few places on it, "...here, here, and here. So we're gonna have to be extra careful when it comes to where we go, and who we see from now on."

The crowd of people murmered in agreeement,

"There's no doubt that during this time Gilbert's probably sent out more search parties," Arthur continued, "but the exact amount of people has yet to be said. We need a few fellow volunteers who will go and scout out the perimeter for us."

Suddenly three males in the back stood up and said, "We'll go, Arthur."

"Good." The three men then rushed out the door. "As for the rest of you, I have something to say. King Gilbert is about to get married to a lady named Kandake Sitota, I want everybody to find out anything you can about this woman. She might be the key to getting through to Gilbert." He turned and spotted me with Alfred, "That is all. This meeting is dismissed."

In a flash all of the people piled out of the room and Alfred suddenly motioned me to follow him as we made our way towards Arthur. "Arthur! Dude, you've gotta hear this!"

Arthur huffed a breath in frustration, "Not another one of your lame ideas, Alfred! As you can see, I'm very busy right now." He began to walk away,

"It involves Gilbert~~~!" Alfred coaxed in a sing-songy voice and the blonde man stopped,

"I'm listening..."

Alfred turned towards me and nudged my shoulder, "Go on and tell him Jewel," He said, "He won't bite."

I rubbed my arm, "I'm...uh... I'm the sister to the queen."

Arthur's emerald eyes suddenly gaped, "You're related to Kandake Sitota? But-But...well, I don't mean to be rude but you're..." He began looking me up and down, "...white."

Had I not been in such an oddly tolerable mood, I would've smacked him.

I merely placed my hands on my hips, "Yes. And?"

Arthur then shut his mouth, "We're adopted siblings," I told him, "She took me in a long time ago."

"I see."

Alfred then blurted out, "It's great news though, right Arthur? I mean, this is what the resistance needs! Think of all the possibilities..."

"As good as it might be, I don't think we should jump to conclusions just yet."

Alfred and I both looked at each other and then back to him, "Why not? This is what you guys wanted right? I have every single bit of information that you said you needed, Arthur."

"Right," Arthur sat on one of the many benches in front of us, "but the situation that we're in calls for more dire needs. True, you may be the link to finding us peace, but we can't guarentee that. As I said before, Gilbert is very ruthless and unagreeable to our kind so it might be harder for us to call peace with him."

"But Kandake will! I know it! Please, Arthur just give her a chance! She's probably looking for me with those search parties you mentioned and is worried about me!"

"That would make a lot of sense why Gilbert's heightened the guards." Alfred mentioned.

"I'm sorry Jewel," Arthur continued, "But we can't risk that. I mean, even if she was looking for you Gilbert's a good liar an will probably try to cover up any evidence that they might find of all of us." He stood up, "But we shall see. Only time will tell."

I closed my eyes and sighed in disappointment, "Waiting won't work Arthur," I shook my head slowly, "It'll only make things worse..."

Arthur suddenly frowning turned to Alfred, who said, "I'll take her to the female division to begin her training," He took my arm into his hand, "Come on Jewel."

As Alfred continued to drag me out of the room, all I could do was stare at Arthur in disappointment because I knew that his plan would end up as nothing but wasted effort.

**(A/N: So yeah, there you go. I mentioned before that this was both my favorite chapter, but also the hardest to written. The reason for it being my favorite is because the relationship between Alfred and Jewel I wanted to seem like a couple, even though they're techinically not together. So it's sort of like a minor love-hate relationship. But the hard part would have to be the pacing of it all, and the aspect of the Resistance's plan, which I think I made a tad bit more complicated then it should've been (Damn you Arthur). But I digress. After all, Arthur's reason for it all will be revealed later! Gotta go for now! Don't forget to review!**

**Hydrotamer out!)**


End file.
